Improvement in car-starters



R. CROCKBR 8v W. H. LYTLE. Gar-Starter.

No. 195,987. Patented oct. 9, 1877.

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UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD CROCKER ANI) WILLIAM H. LYTLE, OF DES MOINES, IOVA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-STARTERS.

Spccitication forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,987, dated October 9, 1877; application tiled April 3o, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RICHARD @ROCHER and WILLIAM H. LYTLE, of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a Gar Bra-ke and Starter, of which the following is a specilication:

The object of our invention is to provide a simple, durable, and effective means of applying a brake-force to a street-car in such a manner that it will promptly arrest the speed and motion of the car, and at the same time aid in accumulating a power that can be retained, controlled, and applied at the will of the operator to start the car again, or accelerate its inotion, if not at rest.

It consists in mounting, arranging, and combining friction-rollers with the car-wheels and a spring-motor in such a manner that the operator from either end of the car can, by operating a hand-lever and also a foot-lever, apply the rollers to simultaneously act as brakes upon the wheels, and also to transmit the applied power, together with the resisting force overcome thereby, to compress the spring and retain therein the cinnulated force to be utilized in the further onward movement of the car, all as hereinafter fully set forth.

Figure l of our drawings is a plan-view of our invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing a part of a car and a portion of the duplicated parts required on a complete car. Together they illustrate the construction, application, and operation of our complete brake and starter.

A represents a car-wheel. b b b b are the four friction-rollers designed to engage the four wheels of a car. They are rigidly liXed on the ends of the revolving axles c. d d are axle-carriers, pivoted to the fixed bearers f, depending from the under side of the iloor of the car. g g are mating pinions, rigidly tixed to the revolving axles c, to be carried with the rollers b. h h are horizontal vibrating levers, pivoted tothe under side of the car licor or platform, and connected with the suspended and vibrating axle and roller-carriers d d by means of connecting-rods K K. m m are vertical and pivoted hand-levers at the opposite ends of the car, connected with the horizontal levers h by connecting-rods u u. 0 O are footlevers in parallel positions to the hand-levers m, and each connected with the axle and roller carrier (l most distant by means of the long connecting-rods p.

R represents a coiled spring, secured to the under side ot' the car in a suitable case or boxing, in such a manner that it can be readily compressed by applied power.

.srepresents a drum rigidly secured to one of the axles c at the side of its pinion g. tis a chain, connecting the spring It and drum s. It passes over a directing-pulley, 1r. y represents a spring and buffer, placed between the carriers d in such a manner as to retain the carriers in a vertical normal position, as required, to hold the rollers b away from the carwheels A.

In the practical operation of our invention, when it is desired to diminish the speed of a car, or to stop it entirely, the driver, by pulling the hand-lever m and pressing the parallel foot-lever o, can readily bring the four frictionrollers b into contact with the revolvingl carwheels A. The hand-leverbein g connected with the nearest rollers b by the parts a h ls, the rollers are thereby brought to bear against the nearest car-wheels. The foot-lever 0, being connected with the other and most distant rollers by means of the rod p, serves to aid in forcing the most distant rollers against the most distant car-wheels. The four friction-rollers b are thus simultaneously brought into contact with the four revolving car-wheels A, to impede or arrest the motion of the car.

By operating either the hand-lever m or the foot-lever o independently of each other, the power applied to impede or arrest the motion of the car will aiect two car-wheels only, and their resisting force, together with the applied force, will be transmitted through the rollers b to the spring lt.

The axles c, carrying the rollers b, are constantly connected by their pinions y, and by means of the drum s and chaint the power that is imparted to either pair of rollers b from either end ot' the car, and from either the hand-lever or the toot-lever, will be transmitted to the spring to compress it, and to accumulate therein a reserve force that will, when released, return through the rollers b to the carwheels to start the car onward again if at rest, or to accelerate its speed it' in motion.

We are aware that springs have been used in brakes; but We elailnthatour mannerot'mounting rollers on revolvingaxles carried by vibrating bearers, and arranging' and combining' them with duplex and compound levers and a spring, so as to be able to operate from either end of the car to apply the four rollers simultaneously as a brake, or each pair alternately as a combined brake and starter, isa novel and greatly advantageous improvement.

We claim as our invention- 1. The suspended vibrating' and revolving axles c c, each having.: tixed friction-rollers b and fixed pinions g, in combination with the drum s iiXed on one of the, same axles, the chain t, and the spring R, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

2. The combined spring` and buffer y, in combination with the suspended and vibrating axle-carriers (I, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

3. The fixed bearers f, the suspended axleearriers (I, the revolving axles c, having rollers b and pinions g, the drum s, chain t, springli, and the operating: mechanism h 7c m n o p, arranged and combined 011 a car to operate as a combined brake and starter, substantially as shown and described.

RICHARD CROCKER. WILLIAM H. LY'ILE.Y

Witnesses TuoMAs HAVANAGH, ARTHUR STIMsoN. 

